At Six Apart, we've helped more businesses start blogging than anyone else. Sure, we provide tools and technology, but we've also gathered unique knowledge and experience in professional blogging. This Guide is here to help you learn about everything from the basics for beginners to tips for experts.

• The Checklist for Getting Started. If you just want to jump in and get started, this short checklist offers some essential steps you'll want to follow.

• An Introduction to Business Blogging. Why would a business want a blog? How do I get a blog? Why would I want more than one blog? Some sites to explore.

• Facts and Figures about Blogging. Stats from Jupiter, comScore, Forrester, The Pew Internet Project, Intelliseek and others that will help you make the case for blogs.

• Comparing Blogs to other Communication Tools. How are blogs different from other websites? How is blog software different from traditional content management systems? How are blogs different from email, IM, forums, wikis or chat?

• The Benefits of Blogging for Media Organizations. Low cost web authoring, publishing from anywhere, increasing your reach, leading the conversation.

• The Benefits of Blogging for Small Businesses. Fast and inexpensive authoring, boosting search engine rankings, increasing your reach, humanizing your corporation, customer research and insight, creating loyal customers, getting good PR and driving thought leadership.

• The Benefits of Blogging for Marketers. Building your brand, connecting with customers, getting good PR.

• Ways to use Blogs in your Business. Marketing and promotion, a blog per product, a blog per brand, a voice for executives.

• Creating a Blogging Policy. Having a hotline, key areas of risk, general principles, learn from examples.

• Tracking Blogs in Your Community. How to track your company or brand, using simple search tools, using services designed to track blogs, firms that will monitor blogs for you, knowing who to ignore.

• All About Feeds. Who publishes feeds, what feed reader you should use, subscribing to feeds, publishing a feed, technical details, podcasting.

• Evaluating Blogging Platforms. What to look for when picking a platform, including vendor support, community support, extensibility & openness, customer references and industry reputation.